Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Parker and Lizzie are complete opposites and share very little in common, mainly their mutual dislike. But when their mutual friend Camille suggests they fake date each other to learn how to be in relationships longer than two weeks, they start to spend a lot more time together. Over one month, the girls learn more about each other and themselves than they ever expected to.

I have mixed feelings on this book. The second half of the story was much stronger, and I'm glad I stuck it out to read it all, but the first half is just poorly written. The characters start out flat and annoying, with their personalities coming out more as the story progresses, which didn't make sense to me with the alternating first-person POVs. The bet itself also doesn't make sense fully. Camille gets frustrated way too quickly and throws it out as a joke, but it reads as hurtful. It seemed she was really saying, "Since you both suck at relationships and also hate each other, wouldn't it be fun to see how you mess up a relationship together?" All of the characters were also extremely immature, and I know they're teenagers, and that's to be expected to some degree, but this went past what is expected for the age group. They all hurt each other through active choices of ignoring, excluding, and insulting. While the second half was better, the ending was just odd. I think the book could benefit from an epilogue taking place a few months to a year later where storylines could be properly wrapped up, such as Parker's relationship with her mother and Lizzie's coming out to her family.

I did love the family dynamics in this book. The scenes that hit the hardest for me were Parker and Lizzie each becoming closer to their respective families and opening up to them about their lives. The later romance scenes between the two girls were so sweet and fun. My favorite aspect was Miss Patty's store. I love how inclusive and accepting this entire town was (from the girls' perspectives) and how this little store defined so much of who they were, both as individuals and together.

Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable, quick read that would mean a lot to someone of the intended audience age.

Thank you to the author, publishing company, and NetGalley for this earc!

This was a great fake dating trope in the YA category. There was such great LGBTQIA+ representation and was just an overall adorable and pleasant read. We can see the slow change of the protagonists into overall better people and there were some defining funny and endearing moments. I recommend if you’re looking for an easy and fun read.

The Trial Period is a fun take on the fake dating trope, with outgoing Parker and shy introvert Lizzie, who are constantly bickering, being dared by their mutual best friend Camille to “date” for a month to try to work out their issues. The two immediately shut it down, but the more they think about it, the more they’re intrigued by the idea.

Parker is a bit self-centered, not really thinking about the people around her and how her actions and behaviors affect them, but she’s also a bit insecure. Lizzie has some serious anxiety issues and struggles to get out of her shell. As the two of them spend more time together they start to bring out better qualities in the other, and the bickering turns into banter. I do wish we got to see a bit more of Camille, but there are some fun side characters, like the kids who run a hot chocolate/bad advice booth downtown and some of the other students involved in the school musical, and there are even some drag queens.

This is definitely a YA book. They’re in high school, and some of the actions and decisions they make are ones that make sense for a teenager but wouldn’t be something I would expect from an adult. I did really enjoy the characters and the plot, it made sense and flowed well. If you’re into YA, The Trial Period is one I’d recommend. I debated on my rating, I’d place it more like 4.5 stars, but I’m rounding up.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily.

2.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

I thought this was cute, I definitely liked Parker and Lizzie while they were fake dating, but everything else just kind of fell flat for me. The “enemies” part of “enemies to lovers” is over as soon as they start fake dating, which I was disappointed by. I was looking forward to the banter and tension that came with fake dating while being enemies, but they become close like, right away. Parker really annoyed me. She was just very immature about everything. She’s a horrible gf to her ex, Emily, and then treats Lizzie like shit, leading Lizzie to break up with her and she still doesn’t understand her attitude. THEN, at the end, Parker agrees to go to a party with Emily after she gives Parker the jacket that Lizzie was supposed to give her. Like, wtf?? Even if Parker didn’t know the jacket was originally from Lizzie, she literally agreed to go with her to a party. Lizzie deserves a lot better imo.
Lizzie was my fave lol. I liked seeing her growth throughout the book alone, and I think she shouldn’t have taken Parker back 😭
Camille was also an issue. While I understand why she’s upset with Parker and Lizzie ignoring her and not hanging out with her, she completely talks shit about Parker to Lizzie when she’s telling Camille about how she thinks their relationship could be real. She continuously puts her down, saying she’s a horrible gf, she can’t keep a gf for more than a week, she can’t change, she’s selfish, etc etc.
Parker didn’t grovel enough. She barely even apologized to Lizzie when she broke up with her, and Lizzie still wanted to get her to be real gfs. Again, Lizzie deserves so much better.

Parker is a high school student who loves fashion and is helping create the costumes for her school’s play, Cinderella. Lizzie is a high school student who loves music and is a part of her school’s orchestra that is providing music for the school’s play. Their common factor is Camille. Camille is Parker’s best friend and Lizzie’s cousin. All Camille wants is for them to get along so they could all hang out together. Not only do they get along worse than cats and dogs, they both have horrible dating records. Camille makes a bet with them that they have to date each other a month to help with their issues in dating.

In my opinion, I feel like this story captures queer dating / love in high school pretty accurately. Sometimes it can be exciting when you have friends and you get pulled in different directions. Unfortunately, Parker might have a touch of the ADHD because she has a tendency to forget about her girlfriends and that leads to her breakups. The fear of your best friend becoming friends with someone else and that you’ll lose them forever. So many high school feelings came back when reading this.

I’m not a big YA fan but the premise of this book drew me in and the story didn’t disappoint. This is a slow burn story but it didn’t feel like it. The progress of the story moved along very well. Also…. Drag Queens!!! You can never go wrong with drag queens. I’ve seen this story get not so great reviews and I’m not sure why because it’s a fun messy high school love story. I highly recommend picking this one up and giving it a read.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on January 22nd 2025. Links provided.

When their mutual best friend Camille gets fed up with their constant arguments, fashion-savvy troublemaker Parker and socially awkward musician Lizzie are challenged to fake date each other for a month. What follows is an experiment in forced romance that neither of them takes seriously - at first. As the spend time together, begrudging tolerance gives way to reluctant understanding, adn feelings they never expected begin to surface. But as their personal issues threaten to derail them, the question remains: can a one-month dare overcome years of bad habits and disdain, or was this doomed from the start?

When their mutual best friend Camille gets fed up with their constant arguments, free-spirited troublemaker Parker and socially awkward musician Lizzie are challenged to fake date each other for a month. What follows is an experiment in forced romance that neither of them takes seriously - at first. As the spend time together, begrudging tolerance gives way to reluctant understanding, and feelings they never expected begin to surface. But as their personal issues threaten to derail them, the question remains: can a one-month dare overcome years of bad habits and disdain, or was this doomed from the start?

I have to be honest in saying that I really struggled with this book. The characters were frustratingly immature, with Parker, Lizzie, and Camille behaving in ways that felt inconsistent and baffling. Despite being portrayed as older teens, their over-the-top drama and emotional responses were more suited to young teens, making it hard to believe in their journeys or take their problems seriously. The romance, which claimed to be a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers arc, did not live up to the expectations. Parker and Lizzie’s sudden shift from constant bickering to acting like a real couple (ie holding hands and making out when it’s just the two of them: usually when fake dating you do that kind of stuff in front of other people to sell the whole relationship thing, not when you’re alone) had no natural progression - it just happened, leaving the tension feeling artificial. Instead of feeling charmed or invested, I was left rolling my eyes (and not in a good way like Lizzie’s constant eye rolls throughout the entire book) at the forced drama and excessive emotional turns. Ultimately, it felt like an exaggerated portrayal of teenage relationships rather than a genuine romance. It is possible that I am the one who is out of touch since my high school years were some time ago, but if that’s how high schoolers act these days, then I am very glad to not be back there. Hopefully there are readers out there who will feel more connected to Parker and Lizzie’s story than I was, but I sadly would not necessarily recommend this book.

Thank you to Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of The Trial Period in return for my honest review.

Lizzie and Parker really grew on me. At the start, the book seemed very juvenile, even for YA, and I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it, but that changed when I saw the amount of chemistry they had, and how much they loved each other. By the end of the book I was completely rooting for them.

Lizzie and Parker are both such standout teenage characters, that actually act like teens. They're dynamic with each other and friends was so fun to read about.

I have to say though, I really hated the third act breakup. It felt completely unnecessary, and they acted completely venomous and out of character to how they treated each other previously. I would have liked them to have a bit more emotional maturity than that.

On the other hand, I absolutely adored the make-up scene. It was everything a rom-com should be: cheesy in the best way possible. One thing I would have loved to see would be Lizzie coming out to her mom, but that's just a personal preference.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a lighthearted rom-com with loveable characters.

This book was so adorable! Lizzie and Parker are super funny even when they're supposed to be arguing. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times while reading this book. There is your typical third act break up of sorts, but it's actually interestingly done in my opinion. A bit of a different spin to it at least. There are a plethora of LGBTQ+ representation in this one and I definitely love Miss Patty! If you're in the mood for something light hearted and lower stakes, this is a great YA book to pick up.

Ashley Marie Parker and Lizzie Hernandez cannot stand each other. But for the sake of their mutual best friend Camille, they try to tolerate one another. Which usually lasts about a minute until they are at each other’s throats. But the one thing they have in common is, neither has ever been in a relationship for very long. While Parker is a flirty, extroverted, fashionista, Lizzie is painfully shy, introverted, and committed to pursuing music even though she has extreme stage fright. In that sense, the two could not be more different. So when a bickering match goes too far, Camille has finally had enough, and challenges the two to a 30 day trial period of dating. If one of them breaks it off before the 30 days, they have to go to all of their ex’s and apologize by confessing that they were a bad girlfriend and that may never change. Because PArker never backs away from a challenge, and Lizzie desperately wants to become a better girlfriend and thinks that Parker can help her, they agree. What becomes a hesitant relationship, eventually turns into something much more serious than either ever expected.

Lizzie definitely grew on me faster than Parker did. Once you understand the reasoning behind her personality and how she struggles to form relationships, you can’t help but feel for her. Which is all the more devastating when she puts in so much effort and gains so much confidence just to be continually crushed by Parker. Watching her development was definitely a highlight for me. Her playlists were also super cool! Parker, on the other hand, continues to be frustrating throughout the entirety of the story. Once you think she has changed, she goes right back to being frustrating again. Her on again off again relationship with Emily is extremely worrisome and a definite red flag. She has a huge personality and doesn’t know how to channel it. Once she does figure out that it is okay to let other people in and get to know the real you, it is almost too late in my opinion. It would have been beneficial for a deeper dive into why Parker was acting out so much in NYC and her struggling transition to a smaller town. Maybe her dad should have realized sooner that Parker probably would have benefited from seeing a school counselor or therapist. I wish more of her story revolved around her passion of making costumes though rather than focused on her pushing people away and frustratingly setting aside her emotions and passion without much of an explanation.

I’m still not sure how I feel about their overall chemistry. At times it was definitely there, and some of the dates were super adorable, but then its like something always seems to get in the way of solidifying their relationship. They could have used more time to actually get to know each other on a deeper level rather than either surface level conversation or making out. I did enjoy their banter and humor and how Parker brought out a more playful side to Lizzie and how Lizzie brought about a softer more sensitive side to Parker. Even if I truly don’t believe in their relationship, they did help each other out and bring out different sides to their personality that probably wouldn’t have happened if not for the trial period. I think with a bit more emotional maturity, they would have worked better.

I honestly might have enjoyed some of the side characters more at times than the main characters. I would definitely be on board to read a sequel with Camille and Norah as the main characters. Also I absolutely loved and adored the siblings at the hot chocolate booth who gave very bad advice and of course all the drag queens. I thought the family dynamics were very interesting as well. I thought Parker was most vulnerable when it came to how she felt about not fitting in with her dad’s family and holding out for a mom that never truly cared about her. Lizzie has a stricter family, but I felt like towards the end when they all really came together to support her, it would have been nice to see her finally come out to her family. My biggest complaint though is that the whole fake dating trial period scheme did come out of nowhere and could have used more build up and a list of actual rules or expectations so that Lizzie and Parker could have been more clear on the parameters. Because this plan by Camille seemingly came out of nowhere, it made Lizzie and Parker’s relationship feel organic because it felt more like they absolutely hated each other one minute, and then the next they were holding hands in the hallway making plans to go on a date. I understand they only had 30 days, but like more definitely needed to be said and understood before they dove head first into the challenge. My favorite bits though involved the drag queens and the mystery behind the display changes, especially how Parker really lit up about all the costumes.

Overall, besides the sense of a forced, inorganic plot line, I enjoyed the humor and banter, the setting, and the intention behind the fake dating, but wish the execution could have been better, with more emotional maturity, deeper/more revealing conversations, and more build up to make the relationship feel more real and believable.

This was a quick DNF for me (2% at Chapter 2) because I didn’t feel like the writing was polished, and the voice didn’t stand out to me, so I wasn’t connecting to the character.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

I’ll refrain from reviewing on Goodreads and Amazon since I don’t feel like I read enough of the book to give a thorough review.

Thank you to the author, publishing company, and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

***

The Trial Period by Auburn Marrow is an adventurous romance that uses my favorite romance trope: faking dating. The story follows two characters, Parker and Lizzie, who both agree to a “trial period” of dating at the suggestion of their friend (Camille).

When I tell you I ate the second half of this book up, I mean it. It swoony, funny, and a bit introspective. You could just feel the blossoming romance between Parker and Lizzie pouring off the pages. Lizzie, in particular, was a well written character I couldn’t help but root for as we see her face her fears and tackle her own self esteem issues. As a whole, I thought the book did a decent job in delving in themes of identity, transformation, family, and self discovery for a young audience.

Another thing that stuck out to me was the friendship aspect of the book. I really do believe the author did a good job in writing about female friendships that are sometimes entangled with insecurities and jealousy.

However, despite its many strengths, this one isn't without its flaws. The first half of the book is extremely slow and feels a bit disconnected from the story. Secondly, I didn’t really like how the two main characters immediately did a 180 with their feelings for each other. Where was the cute buildup? And finally, I have to admit the writing felt very juvenile at certain points. This novel is probably better suited for someone in their teens (13-17) rather than in college and beyond.

All in all, I have to say this was a cute read.

GREAT YA ROMANCE!

Let me start by saying that I signed up for this ARC through netgalley because I thought it sounded like an interesting premise. When I read some of the reviews, I worried if I would enjoy it because of some complaints about the characters. I LOVED these characters. I thought their love story was sweet and believable. Are the characters perfect? Of course not. They’re teenagers. They are still learning about who they are. I think that was one of the things I liked most about this book. The two MCs helped each other grow so much. In the beginning, they assumed they were opposites, but really they were very similar in what they were looking for, but opposite in how they went about trying to get it. They were able to help each other become who they wanted to be (even if they didn’t realize it was who they wanted to be).

This book made me laugh, and I’ll admit, at times, it even made me cry. The author has a way with words and I’m excited to see what she puts out next.

I struggled with this one. Mostly because I didn’t like Parker and didn’t feel bad for her. I understood why she did what she did but so much of her conflict was from self inflicted wounds and her backstory felt like an excuse to justify poor behavior. And I couldn’t get behind it. So not liking a main character or the romance between her and Lizzie (while also feeling indifferent towards Lizzie) really made it hard for me to enjoy this book.

A cute teenage queer love story great for a high schooler!

Usually I can read YA novels without feeling old, but either I’m aging out or this book is particularly better suited for teens because the characters were a little too immature for my 32 year old brain. Nonetheless, it was a cute story and a surface level romance that would have been fun to read in high school. I enjoyed the dual narration and the side characters added to the story. I particularly loved Ms Patty!

DNF @ 16%

Fake dating is my favorite trope, and I love YA books, so this seemed like a great combination to me. Unfortunately, I did not like Parker all that much, and I wasn't a big fan of the writing. With some more polish, this book could be good.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

cute and fun romance about some fun characters. a bit insta-love despite being marketed as a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers but definitely works. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

The Trial Period by Auburn Marrow is a captivating romance that plays on the classic fake relationship trope with a fresh twist. The story follows two characters who agree to a “trial period” of dating with no strings attached, only to find their feelings complicating the situation. What makes this stand out is the witty banter and the slow-burn tension between the characters. The chemistry is electric, but it’s not just about the romance—the book also delves into self-discovery and emotional growth, making it more layered than your typical romance novel.

Auburn Morrow’s The Trial Period is a compelling and thought-provoking romance that explores the complexities of love, commitment, and personal growth. With a unique premise and relatable characters, Morrow crafts a story that keeps you hooked as the protagonists navigate the challenges of testing their relationship. The emotional depth and witty dialogue make this a perfect read for fans of contemporary romance with real-life stakes.

*ARC provided for my honest review*

A cute WLW Teen read about two "enemies" dared into dating for a month to get over their bad habits. This definitely required some suspended belief, but still cute and a story I wanted to keep reading.

Initially I didn't like any of the characters but really grew to as the story progressed. This book also captured the insecurities of female friendship as you begin navigating romantic relationships and I loved that piece of it even though it stressed me out at times.

One of the characters isn't out at home and though it was discussed minimally it never became a coming out book or a book focused solely on that, which was nice because for me as a queer person that can get exhausting to only focus on that.

Nothing groundbreaking but still a good read and would recommend
as a palette cleanser.

I appreciate getting an arc of this book. I tried multiple times to read this book but unfortunately I had to dnf this book.